Don't Let Monsanto Kill GMO Labeling!

You can also find your Senators' contact information by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. A phone call has greater impact than an email, but a face-to-face meeting is usually the most impactful of all. In addition to contacting the two Senators representing your state, you can also sign the Food Democracy Now!'s petition, addressed to members of Congress, the FDA, and the President Obama.

March on Monsanto Hugely Outnumbers Counterdemonstrators

Ask Your Senators to Oppose Any Bill Prohibiting GMO Labels!, House Passes Bill to Prohibit States From Labeling GMOs!:
http://welcometohealth.blogspot.com/2015/07/ask-your-senators-to-oppose-any-bill.html

by DC Direct Action News

Published May 23, 2015
Topics dcdirectactionnews, Monsanto, GMO, Roundup, March on Monsanto, Frankenfood

On the 23ed of May, the annual March on Monsanto encountered something new at Monsanto's DC lobbying headquarters: a tiny group of counterdemonstrators. Some were reported to hjave been paid by Monsanto to be there. Their presence is proof that the global campaign against Monsanto's patented "Roundup Ready" seeds and glyphosate herbicides is becoming effective.

One of the demands of the May 23,2015 marches in many cities is the recall of Roundup and a ban on its production and use. The other is for mandatory labelling of all the "frankenfoods" containing genetically-modified ingredients.

Monsanto protrayed their counterprotest as being for "science" but attempting to silence discussion of a scientific issue like GMO's and block labelling is better compared to the efforts of the Inquisition to silence Galileo. Also comparable to the Inquisition is the campaign of lawsuits and intimidation aimed at farmers who reuse seeds. Not only farmers with contracts with Monsanto, but other farmers whose crops may be contaminated by cross-pollination are subjected to lawsuits in which Monsanto claims presence of their genes forbids re-use of seeds. They seek ownership of crops in these lawsuits, forcing farmers not to plant any crop related to anything Monsanto sells if they wish to avoid the bulying. Even organic farmers who never use Roundup and whose crops become worthless if contaminated have been harassed.

Producer DC Direct Action News

Related:

Unbelievably bad science in the movie Seeds of Death?:

http://welcometohealth.blogspot.com/2015/03/unbelievably-bad-science-in-movie-seeds.html

GMO labeling hits Congress

Our right to know what we're eating hit the halls of Congress yesterday with full force.

Executives from some of our nation’s major brands -- including Stonyfield, Patagonia, Ben & Jerry's, and Chipotle -- stood in front of the US Capitol to pressure Congress to stop the "DARK Act" and demand lawmakers pass commonsense GMO labeling legislation.

While Monsanto and major junk food manufacturers are lobbying Congress to keep us in the dark on GMOs, innovative and smart food leaders are stepping up to call for commonsense GMO labeling legislation.

On the heels of our huge event yesterday, we now need your help to keep up the momentum on lawmakers to reject the DARK Act before it’s too late.

Click here to sign our petition demanding Congress reject any attempts to block GMO labeling and stop the DARK Act in its tracks.

Our GMO labeling coalition also released the results of a recent national survey that found an overwhelming supermajority of Americans -- 88% in fact -- believe GMO foods should be labeled.

What’s more, the results showed that GMO labeling crosses party lines. Democrats, Republicans, and independents all agree that labeling genetically modified foods is important to them.

Now it’s time to convince members of Congress that a vast majority of their constituents want GMO labeling legislation. Click the link below to sign our petition:

http://StopTheDarkAct.com

Thanks for all you do.

-Claire

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Claire Benjamin
Executive Director
Food Policy Action

Related:

Unbelievably bad science in the movie Seeds of Death?

Signature needed: Immediately suspend Monsanto’s toxic Roundup herbicide

Tell EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg: "The World Health Organization just reclassified Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup as a 'probable carcinogen.' Stop giving Monsanto a free pass to make us sick. Immediately suspend the use of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup." Add your name:

BREAKING: Maine Launches Bill to Label GMOs NOW!

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#LabelGMOsNewEngland! At noon today, several of our Maine-based OCA staff joined Maine lawmakers at a press conference in the State House to announce the introduction of a bill to require mandatory labeling of GMOs now—not later. OCA is leading the grassroots coalition that will work to pass LD 991, a bill that has strong bipartisan support in the Maine state legislature. Please help us raise $200,000 by March 31 to fund GMO labeling in Maine, and in other New England states, including Massachusetts.   Details on how to donate online, by check or by phone here.  If you were wondering if Monsanto had knocked the wind out of our sails, wonder no more. We may have narrowly lost a few ballot initiatives. But we won in Vermont in 2014. And we can win in Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island this year. But only if we pull out all the stops. You may recall that in 2013, Maine passed a GMO labeling law. But that law contained a trigger clause which requires five Northeast states, including New Hampshire, to also pass mandatory labeling laws before Maine’s law can take effect. Maine’s 2013 law also said that if the five-state threshold isn’t met by December 31, 2018, the bill is dead. We can’t let that happen. Please help us raise $200,000 by March 31 to fund GMO labeling in Maine, and in other New England states, including Massachusetts. Details on how to donate online, by check or by phone here.  The bill we introduced today, with broad, bipartisan support, would remove the trigger and make Maine the second state to pass a trigger-free mandatory GMO labeling bill. Why is Maine important? And why do we also need to raise money to support mandatory GMO labeling in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and other New England states? Because the race is on in Washington D.C., a race funded by Monsanto and the junk food industry, to pass a federal law that would preempt states’ rights to protect their own citizens by passing state GMO labeling laws. Right now, only Vermont has passed a trigger-free labeling law. And the state is currently defending that law against a suit filed by the biotech and junk food industries. It’s one thing for Congress to pass a law that preempts Vermont’s GMO labeling law. But it will be much more difficult for Congress to preempt states’ rights if Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island also pass GMO labeling laws during the 2015 legislative session. That's why passing these laws in New England matters to you, no matter where you live. As more and more research comes to light about the human health risks associated with genetically engineered food and the toxic pesticides and chemicals that accompany them . . . and more and more investigations turn up evidence of how corporations have deceived consumers, and how the FDA and USDA have cooperated in that deceit, the more urgent it is that states act. As soon as enough states have passed laws requiring the mandatory labeling of GMO foods, Congress will be forced to follow suit—not with a weak, voluntary law that has no teeth, but with a strong, mandatory law that provides consumers with the same basic information that citizens in more than 60 other countries already have the right to know. As we saw today in Maine, the GMO labeling issue is far from dead. That’s because we refuse to let it die, no matter how many millions of dollars corporations spend to promote their lies and defeat our laws. More importantly, Maine’s LD 991 proves what we’ve known all along—that GMO labeling is not a Democrat or Republican, left-wing or right-wing issue. LD 991’s sponsors include three Democrats and six Republicans, including long-time state lawmakers and the up-and-coming generation of Maine leaders. We believe we can win in Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island this year. But only if we commit the resources to counter the inevitable attack we will face in these states by Monsanto and the Junk Food Giants. Please make a donation here today to help us raise $200,000 by March 31. Donations made to the Organic Consumers Fund, our 501(c) 4 lobbying arm, are not tax-deductible. If you want to support the grassroots advocacy and education campaigns in these states, you can make a tax-deductible donation to our 501(c)3 here. Thank you! Ronnie Cummins National Director, Organic Consumers Association and Organic Consumers Fund P.S. These campaigns in New England are urgent. Plans are afoot to commercialize GMO wheat in the U.S. Millions of products contain wheat. How will you know if it’s GMO wheat without a label? Please make a donation today.  Thank you!

Connect With OCA:

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Unbelievably bad science in the movie Seeds of Death?

Watch this 14 Year Old GMO Activist Smackdown This Bullying 'Shark Tank' Entrepreneur

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary is the host of a Canadian TV program. He had Rachel Parent, a 14 year old GMO activist, on the show. Watch as she completely owns the plutocrat TV host as he desperately tries to defend Monsanto...

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Unbelievably bad science in the movie Seeds of Death?

Newly Released: Study Confirms Chronic Kidney Failure 5 Times Higher in Glyphosate-Ridden Areas - Yet Monsanto claims it is safe

by Christina Sarich

Posted on March 5, 2015

naturalsociety.com

The evidence for the abominable toxicity of Round Up chemicals like glyphosate is already overwhelming, yet there seems to be a never-ending stream of research and evidence pointing toward their dangers. A new study has just been published showing that farmers in Sri Lanka exposed to glyphosate through drinki

Big Ag chemicals, more specifically, biotech’s chemicals (since their GM rice, soy, corn, and other genetically altered seeds are meant to withstand copious amounts of spaying) are detrimental to humans and the environment from the moment they are sprayed to years later. In this case, the toxicity is felt when residents of small rural villages drink from wells that have contaminated ground water due to spraying.

The research abstract concludes:

“The current study strongly favors the hypothesis that CKDu epidemic among farmers in dry zone of Sri Lanka is associated with, history of drinking water from a well that was abandoned. In addition, it is associated with spraying glyphosate and other pesticides in paddy fields.”

To summarize the study, Dr. Channa Jayasumana states:

“Drinking well water and occupational exposure to Herbicides is associated with chronic kidney disease, in Padavi-Sripura, Sri Lanka.”

Simply put – but apparently not so simply solved.

Concentrations of glyphosate and metals are much higher in these abandoned wells, increasing the risk of deadly chronic kidney disease (CKDu) by up to 5-fold.

The Center for Public Integrity says fatal chronic kidney disease of unknown origin, or CKDu, has killed more people in El Salvador and Nicaragua than AIDS, diabetes, and leukemia combined over the past five years. This wave of CKDu affecting numerous poor farming countries around the world simply didn’t exist prior to 1990.

Another study published in the Journal of Organic Systems also found a link between glyphosate and the enormous increase in chronic diseases across the United States.
It has already been established, through groundbreaking research that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s broad-spectrum herbicide Round Up, might be “a crucially important factor in the development of multiple chronic diseases and conditions.”

This is just more confirmation that the world should ban GMOs and their chemicals as fast as possible.

Farmers in this part of the world often wear scant protection when spraying glyphosate on their rice fields, but it seems that this protection is not enough. The fact that Round Up has contaminated their drinking water is an example of how multi-tiered the problem of herbicidal toxicity truly is.

About Christina Sarich:
Christina Sarich is a humanitarian and freelance writer helping you to Wake up Your Sleepy Little Head, and See the Big Picture. Her blog is Yoga for the New World. Her latest book is Pharma Sutra: Healing the Body And Mind Through the Art of Yoga.

The Political Ties of Monsanto

From The Center: Natural Health Specialists November 2013 Newsletter

In my last newsletter was an article on the political connections (corruptions) between Monsanto and key players in the government, regulatory agencies, and testing agencies.  As a result, I received several emails requesting more information on this topic. Thank you for those of you that have read this important information and want to learn more.

Does it seem right that a Monsanto lobbyist who heads up Monsanto's Washington DC branch also serves as a Deputy Commissioner on the FDA and as senior advisor to the FDA? Is there any problem with Monanto's VP of Public Affairs also serving as a Deputy Administrator for the EPA? Is there possibly a conflict of interest when the same individual is both the Monsanto's Manager of New Technologies while also working for the USDA and EPA? Check out these links to see the people who share both Monanto and government positions:

Monsanto & government connections #1



Monsanto & government connections #2



Monsanto has also recently openly paid politicians over $400,000.00 in campaign contributions.

Check out this list of politicians receiving money from Monsanto:

Monsanto political contributions

So what does all this mean?

It means Monsanto is BIG and powerful! This company is able to exert its influence in policy, law, research, and virtually every aspect of the agricultural industry.

What does this mean for you?

It means you must be diligent about what you eat and how you feed your family. There is clearly conflicting information available on the safety of GMO food. Please do not assume all information available is truthful and accurate. Be your own best advocate!

http://www.onlineholisticmedicine.com/resources/political-ties-monsanto

When Monsanto makes a bad decision, its CEO only answers....to himself!

And the award for Most Evil Company of the Year, based on your votes, goes to… **drumroll**... Monsanto!

This award is well deserved -- this year alone, Monsanto sued a tiny U.S. state for daring to label GMOs, and terrorized Guatemalan farmers because they were saving seeds to plant on their own. And as usual, Monsanto continues to use its massive profits to fund an army of lobbyists, corrupting democratic processes all over the world.

Now, Monsanto is facing a new obstacle -- but this time, from its own shareholders.

A group of SumOfUs members submitted a shareholder resolution demanding change. They want to make Monsanto’s CEO accountable to an independent chair of the board of directors, hopefully preventing even more disastrous decisions without accountability.

Shareholders have just a few days to vote on the proposal in the lead-up to Monsanto’s annual meeting, and the company is throwing everything it can to stop the proposal from passing. We don’t have much time -- ask investors to vote in favor of the proposal now!

Sign the petition asking Monsanto shareholders to demand change at the top.

Monsanto assumes that most of its victims -- especially poor farmers in the Global South -- will never be able to confront it. But together, we can finally hold it accountable.

This is a game-changer. Right now, Monsanto’s CEO is his own boss -- a nifty trick CEOs use to centralize power -- and as long as this structure of impunity continues, Monsanto will continue to jeopardize our resources, our water, land, seeds -- and ultimately, our survival.

Shareholders are sick of Monsanto spending their money on lobbying, campaign contributions, and filing frivolous lawsuits against governments and farmers. They’re already starting to vote on the proposal before Monsanto’s shareholder meeting next week, so we need to get our message to them now while they’re voting.

Sign the petition asking Monsanto shareholders to vote to give the CEO a proper boss, like we all have.

We know our pressure is working. A recent report by The Guardian says Monsanto’s profits dropped by 34% in 2014, and that drop was ascribed to global protests and communities like ours holding it accountable. Undoubtedly, Monsanto’s profits have taken a hit partly thanks to the persistence of the SumOfUs community.

Last year, we delivered over 170,000 signatures at the same shareholder meeting, supporting farmers and investors as they demanded Monsanto be transparent about the risks to GMOs. Tens of thousands of SumOfUs members chipped in to support Vermont against Monsanto’s frivolous lawsuit, and we continue to hold it accountable for terrorizing farmers in Guatemala, Mexico, India and the rest of the world.

If we act now, we could strike a big blow to Monsanto.

We know Monsanto has to listen to its shareholders. And because of this brave group of SumOfUs members and Monsanto shareholders, we have an opportunity to finally force change at Monsanto.
Can you imagine it?! Monsanto being forced to change its shady business practices from the inside!

Help us take the fight to Monsanto’s doorstep: sign the petition asking shareholders to vote in favor of separating the CEO from the chair of the board.

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More information: Shareowner Proposal: Independent Board Chairman, Securities and Exchange Commission, January 2015 Monsanto earnings fall 34% after a year of global protests, The Guardian, January 7 2015. 

2014 Award for Worst Corporation goes to….

We want to give the worst corporation in the world an award. Our amazing community of over 5.5 million people has been hard at work in 2014 holding corporate power to account, taking action for human and worker rights, environmental protection, and people over profits -- and now it's time to select the worst of the worst. 

We’re excited to announce the first ever SumOfUs Corporate Evil Awards! Think of it as a People’s Choice award for corporate wrongdoing. We have a list of corporations that have done awful stuff for workers, communities, the environment and the world in 2014. Vote for the corporation you think has done the most evil for the world in 2014. And there’s a prize -- we’ll present the award to the corporation, and we’ll commit to supercharge our campaign against the winner over the next year.

Can you cast your ballot now? It’s easy: simply click the “vote” button next to your choice. Happy voting!

Chevron won't clean up this mess. Chevron's three decades of oil drilling in the Ecuadorian Amazon saw the oil giant dump over 18 billion gallons of toxic wastewater into pristine rainforest -- but the company refuses to pay up the $9.5 billion it owes affected communities. Vote Chevron

Nestlé is stealing communities' water all over the planet for profit. Nestlé has done everything from draining drinking water in Pakistani villages to using child slavery to make chocolate. Then its CEO had the gall to claim water was not a human right.    Vote Nestlé

PepsiCo is bulldozing their homes. Sumatran orangutans are critically endangered because PepsiCo is bulldozing their homes to build massive palm oil plantations. Palm oil is also releasing billions of of tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, fuelling climate change. Vote PepsiCo

Does Bayer hate bees? The massive chemical giant is fighting laws to ban pesticides responsible for millions of global bee deaths. If Bayer doesn’t buzz off, our tiny little pollinators could die for good -- putting the global food supply in danger.   Vote Bayer

Monsanto is terrorizing farmers across the planet. Monsanto and its allies sued Vermont for trying to stop a new law that required genetically engineered foods be labeled, and then tried to put Guatemalan farmers behind bars for saving seeds.     Vote Monsanto

Amazon could kill small business everywhere. Amazon uses a web of shell companies to avoid paying taxes, undercuts independent retailers to drive them out of business, and uses creepy monitoring technologies to track employees’ moves.   Vote Amazon

The SumOfUs community exists to hold corporate power to account, and we’re working together everyday to mobilize millions of people across the planet to create a more just society. Thanks for all you do to make that possible. Please cast your vote now -- we’ll announce the winner early in the new year. May the worst corporation win!

Thanks for all you do,
Paul, Emma, Angus and the rest of the SumOfUs team

SumOfUs is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy. Please help keep SumOfUs strong by chipping in $3.

Monsanto is suing the state of Vermont to block labeling of GMO foods

The world's most hated corporation got even more evil.

Monsanto and its allies in the Grocery Manufacturers Association have announced they're suing the tiny, rural U.S. state of Vermont to stop a new law that simply requires genetically engineered foods to be labeled. In fact, the mere threat of a multi-million dollar lawsuit nearly caused the state to back off the labeling law altogether.

But Vermont is refusing to back down -- and they’re asking for our help. They're getting ready to fight back against Monsanto, and have even created a legal defense fund so people around the world can make donations to help them beat back Monsanto’s lawsuit.

The SumOfUs community is already fighting Monsanto on every front, but we need to show Monsanto now that we won't be intimidated. We won't let Monsanto bully our elected officials into submission. Will you chip in to stand with Vermont and fight back against Monsanto?

https://action.sumofus.org/a/vermont_monsanto/5/2/?akid=8458.7187485.a0FxLK&ask=1&rd=1&sub=fwd&t=3

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Note: If you'd prefer to mail a check, click here for instructions to make sure it makes it to us.

Questions? Shoot us an email at donations@sumofus.org.

Related:

March Against Monsanto

GMO Free USA

Monsanto just got even more evil

The day after the island of Maui passed a moratorium on GMO crops, Monsanto announced it was suing them to override the will of the people. This is outrageous. Can you chip in $1 to help fight back against Monsanto's bulling?   Donate $1 now Last Tuesday, the voters on the Hawaiian island of Maui passed a moratorium on genetically engineered crops. The very next day, Monsanto announced plans to sue Maui to block the law from going into effect. Maui is one of the most biologically diverse places on earth -- but it's being turned into one giant, open-air biological experiment by the rampant use of GMO crops and pesticides. Monsanto and its allies spent more than $8 million to convince voters to defeat the GMO moratorium and still lost. So now they’re sending an army of lawyers to overturn the will of the people. Can you chip in $1 to stand with Maui and pressure Monsanto to drop the lawsuit? Yes, I'll donate $1 to help stop Monsanto from forcing its GMOs and pesticides on people who don't want them. Monsanto, Dow, BASF, and other huge biotech companies have flocked to Hawaii because the climate allows them to plant and grow seeds that they can sell all over the world. Today, nearly 10 percent of all Hawaii's farmland is owned by just five biotech firms, including Monsanto. That’s why Maui voters have been asking their elected officials to do something about GMOs and the heavy pesticides that go with them. But the politicians, most of them funded by Monsanto, have ignored the people. So earlier this year, they took matters into their own hands, collecting thousands of petition signatures to force the issue to be put before voters directly as a citizen referendum. And last Tuesday, the voters spoke: no GMOs on Maui. Whatever you think about GMO crops and pesticides, it's just wrong for a corporation to use legal action to intimidate the public and override the democratic process. That's why it's so important we stand up, and stand together, whenever Monsanto tries to use these dirty tactics. Together we can stand with Maui, and fight back and win. Will you chip in $1 today? Yes, I'll chip in $1 to help stop Monsanto from forcing its GMOs and pesticides on people who don't want them. Thanks for all that you do, Paul, Jon, and the rest of the team at SumOfUs ******** More information: Monsanto strikes back after Maui voters support GMO moratorium, ABC KITV4 Hawaii, November 5, 2014 SumOfUs is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy. Related: GMO Free USA March Against Monsanto

Facts About Monsanto

March Against Monsanto

These 10 Companies Are Against GMO Labeling

Food Inc

Monsanto, Kraft, General Mills, Coke, Pepsi...It's mainly because of the GMO corn syrup. Now do you understand why the information is kept from you?

These 10 Companies Are Against GMO Labeling

If these food companies get their way, Colorado and Oregon won't require GMO labeling.

takepart.com

Monsanto: Stop buying legislation (and politicians)

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The House quietly voted to extend the so-called Monsanto Protection Act in September.  It is set to expire December 15, and we still have a chance to kill it in the Senate: We cannot afford another extension of the Monsanto Protection Act -- likely with even more extensions to follow.

The bill allows Monsanto to plant GE crops even if a court found they were approved illegally. It protects it from lawsuits even if these crops turn out to be unsafe, and keeps the USDA from having any authority over its effect on the environment or the lives of local farmers. Will you sign our petition at left demanding Monsanto stop buying policy and policymakers?

The only reason Congress is even considering another extension is because Monsanto recently spent record amounts lobbying our representatives and corrupting our legislative process: More than $6.3 MILLION. The company continues to fight state-led efforts to label GMOs and even lobbied to prohibit such labeling at the federal level. We need your help to stop the madness!

Act now to prevent months or years more of undermining federal courts' ability to safeguard farmers and the environment from potentially hazardous genetically engineered crops. Our legislation needs to protect the people from corporations -- not the other way around.

Don't let the latest biotech industry plot slip under the wire. Please sign our petition to Monsanto now.

PETITION TO MONSANTO: We demand that Monsanto stop corrupting our legislative process by making back-room deals and slipping in language that protects a corporation's profits from consumers' health.  Policy should reflect the people's interests, irrespective of how much a corporation contributes to our representatives or spends lobbying them.

Sign the petition HERE.

Related: 

March Against Monsanto

Kellogg's: Remove GMOs from your products!

We sent a box of Froot Loops to a lab for genetic testing and found the corn and soy are 100% Roundup Ready GMO. Sugar is also a Roundup Ready GMO. Roundup Ready means the GMOs are sprayed with Roundup (glyphosate), a toxic weed killer, which is absorbed by the plant. Glyphosate was also patented by Monsanto as an antibiotic in 2011. Not only is the corn in Froot Loops sprayed with Roundup, but it is a pesticide in its own right, registered with and regulated by the EPA. Every cell of the plant produces pesticides called Bt toxins. When rootworms bite into it, their stomachs rupture and they die. How disturbing is it that Kellogg’s is feeding children pesticides & antibiotics, without their parents’ knowledge or consent?

GMOs (genetically modified organisms) were released into our food supply without independent long-term studies to prove that they are safe. The FDA doesn't oversee the nature or extent of testing these GMOs undergo. Instead, they allow the chemical companies that develop GMOs and profit from their sale to determine whether they are safe. The companies that create GMOs (Monsanto, Dow, Syngenta & others) are the same companies that created DDT and Agent Orange, now banned, and which cause serious generational disease and birth defects. There are increasing numbers of independent studies showing that GMO crops and the toxic pesticides associated with GMOs can have negative multi-generational human health and environmental consequences.

Kellogg's spent $1,012,552 on media propaganda in California & Washington to defeat voter ballot initiatives that would have required the labeling of GMO foods. Kellogg's doesn't want Americans to know that their products contain pesticide producing, Roundup soaked GMOs.

America wants you to make ALL Kellogg's products GMO-free, like you do in Europe and countries that require GMOs to be labeled. We want accountability by third party verification. Kellogg's: Remove GMOs!

Sign the petition HERE.